After several years of feeling that I had more to contribute
in a strategic role than in a classroom, I found myself miserable in a
paradise. Our time in Los Cabos, Mexico,
was a time of intense personal and professional growth, but hardly any of it
was comfortable. Most of the time, it
was downright painful! I realized a
needed a change, and soon, so began apply for administration jobs in locales
and schools that interested me.
We originally were trying to stay within the
Spanish-speaking world for our kids’ sake, but realized that they had
progressed with their language skills more than we had expected. We started looking in other places, and after
not having much luck with various coordinator-type roles that I was more than
qualified for, decided to apply for principal jobs in some smaller/growing
schools. A friend sent me an advertisement
for a secondary principal position in Cambodia, a place we were fairly opposed
to going, or really just hadn’t seriously considered, as it just didn’t fit our
picture of where we were going next.
However, the school was exactly the type of school I was looking for:
growing and young. After some serious
discussions as a couple, we decided to apply.
What could it hurt?
Long story short, I got hired as Secondary Principal. I was a little surprised to get hired, but
after having been here for a week, realize that it’s the perfect fit. Cambodia, while still very much developing,
is along the lines of what we were looking for.
The staff and management at my school are very supportive. The workload and expectations are manageable
and reasonable, yet there is much work to be done to grow the school. Everyone is happy, positive, and
energetic. What’s not to like? Pretty
much everyone at the school speaks English, so my lack of Khmer isn’t so much
an issue for now, though I’m learning more every day.
A major benefit is
something that I hadn’t even considered until after I arrived. My broad
dissertation topic for my doctorate at this point is establishing or growing
schools in war-torn regions. Cambodia
fits the bill, although it’s several decades past that point. The effects are still easily seen, though, in
too many ways to describe right now. The
obvious context for that dissertation topic is the Middle East, and that very
likely will factor in at some point, and we did live in Guatemala for a couple
of years after its civil war (what is the deal with so many wars in this
world?!).
We’re very fortunate to have this opportunity, and we plan
to make the most of it. Life is good.
